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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 1 Hansard (19 February) . . Page.. 171 ..

Mr Berry: You issued them up to June; so you are stupid, too.

MRS CARNELL: Because we have a new system, Mr Berry. We think monthly reports are what the Assembly needs. I understand that Mr Berry actually did produce some figures for Calvary while he was Minister, so I apologise for indicating that he did not produce any. He certainly did not, by the way, produce monthly reports as we are doing now.

Mr Speaker, I come back to the reality here. What we need to do in this place is make sure we pass things that are achievable. It is not achievable, as Mr Berry found when he was Minister, to produce health figures within 15 days of the end of the reporting period. He could not do it; and nor could we, with any confidence that the figures that we were producing were either complete or accurate. To pass something that Mr Berry could not do and that the system simply cannot produce would be silly. I am very happy, Mr Speaker, to agree to have information in front of the Assembly within 30 days, and that is better than we have done at the moment. It means we really will have to lift our game a bit. We have managed four weeks at times, but occasionally it has blown out to five weeks. We would have to work a bit harder to make sure we were inside 30 days. It is always good to have a challenge. I am happy to run with that challenge; but to take Mr Berry's motion on board now, Mr Speaker, would just ensure that the health system spent more time on bits of paper than with patients.

MR SPEAKER: The member's time has expired.

MR MOORE (6.27): Mr Speaker, when we are dealing with a motion that looks for more information it has been my practice, since first elected, to support that motion for more information; but to support it as sensibly as I can. Therefore, I move:

Omit "15", substitute "30".

MR SPEAKER: You can foreshadow it. Mr Humphries's amendment will have to come before yours, Mr Moore, under standing order 142.

MR MOORE: I must have been dozing a little, then, Mr Speaker. I did not realise Mr Humphries had actually put his. I am quite happy to foreshadow the amendment.

MR SPEAKER: It is just that Mr Humphries's amendment will be put before yours, Mr Moore. But you can speak to yours now.

MR MOORE: That is fine, but can I put it now, Mr Speaker?

MR SPEAKER: Yes, you can.

MR MOORE: I move:

Omit "15", substitute "30".

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